November 7, 2013 10:20 am

Marshawn Lynch had to hurdle buddy and lead blocker Michael Robinson on Sunday. / AP photo

Good morning.

Sunday, we saw some efficient lead blocking from fullback Michael Robinson. He was in on 18 snaps, which is an increase in usage of a fullback in the Seahawks’ scheme. Marshawn Lynch had 21 carries. That was the increase the Seahawks were looking for after he carried a paltry eight times against the Rams.

“I can’t explain it, or put it into words,” Robinson said of his working and personal relationships with Lynch. “We’ve been playing together for a while, and he knows what I’m gonna do and how I’m going to target a guy. I talk to him about what I’m doing to do when we see a certain look, so, yeah, we communicate a whole lot.”

> Doctors told Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett that he has signs of CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition many scientists say is caused by head trauma and linked to depression and dementia. More than 50 former players who have posthumously had their their brains studied have shown signs of CTE. The significance here is that researchers will now be able to assess someone with CTE who is still alive. Here’s the video of Dorsett explaining what he’s going through as he forgets where he’s going, lashes out at his wife and daughters and even considered killing himself.

You’ll note in the video one of the doctors stresses it’s a small sample size and the research is in its early stages.

You’ll also note Dorsett has tears in his eyes as he explains that his daughters are afraid of him.

> Former Seahawk OL John Moffitt abruptly quit football Wednesday. He’s living in Seattle and explained to the Associated Press, he lost the love for the game. He also had concerns about his health. So, he made the change, leaving more than $1 million in salary behind.

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About

Gregg Bell joined The News Tribune in July 2014. Bell had been the director of writing for the University of Washington's athletic department for four years. He was the senior national sports writer in Seattle for The Associated Press from 2005-10, covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season and beyond. He's also been The Sacramento Bee's beat writer on the Oakland Athletics and Raiders. The native of Steubenville, Ohio, is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and a 2000 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

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So glad MikeRob is back. I think most of us here were pretty sure that Marshawns run totals were going to improve with Mike’s blocks back in the fold. Now any chance the RealRob reports from the locker room can resume?

Yankinta: I could see STL over IND and CAR over SF, but I don’t see any logical way SD can get by DEN. I don’t know if it would be much of an upset, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if OAK beat NYG or TB got past Miami

raymaines,,, I agree with you. I have the least confidence in Chargers over Broncos…that’s why that upset is No.3 on my list. I don’t know about the other teams because I only follow several teams that interests me…..

Many here including myself felt Mike Rob would positively impact this team and provide a boost for the running game. We noted his leadership as one of the key attributes that he brings along with experience and heart. Coleman was doing ok, but it takes time to establish trust between a fullback and running back. Certain stats were provided to reduce the value of Mike Rob, but I think it’s very clear, especially after last week what he brings to this team. Lynch just had his best rushing day of the season.

People often underestimate what someone brings to the locker room. Football is much more than yards, TDs, sacks and stats. It’s about heart, emotion, leadership and standing with the guy next to you. Michael Robinson is a shining example of what a football player and ideal teammate is all about. So glad we got him back. Lynch’s words sum it up pretty nicely.

A bit off-topic, but on the subject of O-Line. Saw an interesting piece the other week on Field Gulls basically making the case that the line was left out there on there own for a reason. With limited OTA’s, limited full contact practices, and red jerseys and all, offensive lineman actually have very few opportunities to learn their trade at full speed when not in a game. The writer on Field Gulls basically took the position that there is no other way to learn except for game time snaps. Adjusting the protection, adding blockers would have taken away from that opportunity. The line was there to stand on their own and take their lumps. A caculated risk so that they could learn their lessons in Week 8 instead of down the stretch or in the playoffs.

SF coming off a bye week, rested and at home with Aldon Smith possibly in the lineup seems like too tall a task for The Panthers unfortunately. I have a bad feeling that we might see the rattled Cam in this game.

pabuwal,, Indy is unbeatable at home?? LOL… ummm Miami Dolphins beat them this season, when Ryan Tannehill outplayed Andrew Luck…. you should look it up…

I like Panthers over 49ers because Panthers’ front 7 the best front 7, this season….that’s why they have No.1 Defense (scoring defense). They should be able to shut down Gore. And if the play Man instead of Zone, CK will struggle. Cam has been improving this season,, that I’ve been impressed by his improvement (from last year to this year,, similar improvement like Andrew Luck)….

I like RAMS running game and I LOVE their Defense. Colts are not for real. I feel strongly that Rams will beat the colts, unless of couser Jeff Fisher has a Mini Stroke at half time…

Rams beat the Colts in Indy? Yeah, right. Pretty wishful thinking from none other than the Luck hater.

Panthers on the other hand have a chance, albeit a small one. Their defense is really good and their running game is at full strength. I don’t anticipate Aldon having a huge impact after being away from the game for a little while.

San Diego and Denver should be interesting since McCoy was OC last year for the Broncos and may have a little insight as to what they’re trying to do. Stopping it of course is a whole ‘notha ballgame.

All right, I’m done talking about other teams. Back to Hawks stuff please.

joreb,, lol I do not hate Luck. I just said I’m impressed by how much he has improved from last year… just like Cam has been improving from last year to this year…. But I do not think he’s as good as the entire nation thinks….not even close….

How’d the one loss Seahawks and Broncos do against Luck in Indy? Luck owned them both and even worse, he owned the Seahawks in the 4th quarter.

Before the “Is Luck a good QB” argument on this site, there was the “Is Matt Ryan Elite” argument. He gets one half of his stud duo back this week (although at reduced strength) which will help him at least look average.

Joreb, I like RAMS running game and I LOVE their Defense. Kellen Clemens hasn’t been terrible. If you watched their last two games,, their defense has played well.

And as I said before, Colts are not for real. They’ve been winning because they’ve been extremely Lucky. The lucky streak will end very soon, imho. I still like the Titans to win that division over the Colts. But Titans have to beat them twice in order to do it. They luck hype and colts hype will die very soon with a whimper….

pabuwal,, I had known/predicted that Broncos would lose to Colts as soon as Jim Irsay started making that game a big game for Peyton Manning. We all know Manning chokes in big games…that why I was saying Jim Irsay was a genius before that game…

As for our game, there were 4-6 biased call that went the Colts way, thanks to Ron Winter’s Inept Crew. I think that helped the colts win,, without those calls, RW would have pulled out that win. Lucky for Colts…

Kellen Clemens is not as good as Russell Wilson.
Zac Stacey is no Beast Mode.
Rams defense is still a step or two behind the Hawks.

‘If’ I watched their games. Tell you what. My old boss is a huge Rams fan from their days in LA. Every week we chat about our teams and every week he tells me how the Rams are turnover prone, undisciplined with penalties and under-utilizing their talent. Basically, they’re going through the same growing pains we did when Pete first got here.

The Colts have beaten the Niner, Broncos and Hawks. No other team in the league has a comparable record against ‘elite’ teams. You say Luck is overrated but that’s just your opinion. Last year they threw it alot because Arians was running the show. This year they’re way more balance and are seemingly a better team.

The Rams blow. They looked good against us but I seriously doubt they have a chance in hell this week. When the Rams lose, just come back here Monday morning and say you were wrong. No excuses, no if, buts and whatevers. Just man up and admit your hatred (or envy) of Luck.

It ain’t happening and you know it.

And I will stop feeding your massive ego in another pointless debate. You love getting everybody all riled up, but the buck stops here.

FleaFlicker, I hope your scenario with the o-line is true, i’d love to believe we’re building depth. 1 more win and we start getting guys back then a bye to build up for a run. Maybe we’ll see things that they have been hiding up their sleeve, hopefully. Zac Stacy might be the real deal, we’ll have to see if he can keep it up.

I just want a win in Atlanta this week. If we can put a beat down on them and dominate, it’d be that much sweeter, but it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. I’m feeling 41-20 but again, I’d just be happy with a ‘W’.

GO HAWKS!

(I have no problem admitting I was wrong. I do it all the time, so Monday someone will be eating some crow).

montanamike2,, yeah I am really starting to like Zach Stacy, he had 127 yards 4.7 average and 2 TDs last week against a good Defense (Titans)…. I think he’ll have another 100+ yards game, with his ankle getting a lot healthier…. Colts are in trouble….

The messaging shift from the Rams game to the Bucs game is interesting. Pete went from rah rah to we have a huge problem stopping the run. Cable went from talking about the O-line struggles to this week’s “cool depth.”

Regardless, I’m glad that combined, they’re acknowledging the dents in the armor and are working to fix them.

The formula is simple. Run first. The current O-line is better suited for that, and the added benefit of Mike Robinson was seen last week. AND, ironically, it was Wilson that got the golden goose, and the credit for leading the Hawks to the come-back victory.

Even in a controversial performance against a winless team (in the eyes of national media), the formula is proven. Run first, and win.

I think the JS/PC regime has done very well. My only point of contention is that I think they have done poorly evaluating o-line draft talent and made foolish investments into converting d-line players into o-line players.

blocis,, I don’t think it’s foolish at all to convert D-Line into O-Line players.. if you watch a lot of college football you’d know that most Elite Athletes/lineman like to play on Defense rather than on Offense…. I think it’s smart, that they doing that…. the rest of the league will copy us soon,,,just as they’ve done with bigger corners…

blocis, Sweezy was round seven, pick 225 overall. That’s not a huge investment… foolish, perhaps, but the guy has been on the field and beat out Moffit who was a round three pick (11th, so nearly in the first 100 picks).

I dunno, I don’t see the failures of the FO on the Sweezy experiment in terms of draft pick. He’s not working out as well as any of us would like, for sure, but I’m mostly unhappy with Carpenter and Moffit, two relatively high picks that really haven’t been working out. If you are a first round pick and are getting put on the bench when Okung comes back so someone like McQuistan can take your spot… and you were supposed to be a tackle and couldn’t hack it so are at guard, and not even starting at guard, that’s a definite disappointment.

(I also found it odd that they even drafted Carpenter given that zone blocking usually features offensive linemen with good feet… not big men necessarily.)

So, anyone think the Sounders have a shot at overcoming a 1 goal deficit at Portland tonight?

Just Kidding. Aggregate scoring is the most asinine concept in professional sports.

Back to football (real football).

I predicted a 13-3 season for the Seahawks before the year began, with the Atlanta game being one of the three losses. They are right where I thought they’d be. Although, admittedly, not even close to the way I thought they would get there. I’m going to hold to my 13-3 prediction, but hope for 15-1.

My biggest concern for this weekend is Big Red. I think we’ll see more Smith-Wright-Irvin at LB on running downs. But with Big Red out, our defense suffers even more. Their running game hasn’t exactly been tearing it up, but it begins to feel like deja vu typing that. Red is a key to the run defense, especially with Wagner struggling to maintain his gap control the past two weeks.

As for Matt Ryan and the passing game, not a strong concern with Julio Jones still out. As long as we contain Gonzalez, we’ll be fine. Roddy White is good, but not good enough to beat us without Jones across from him. Especially coming off injury.

Atlanta’s defense does not concern me in either aspect.

Two things can beat the Seahawks this weekend. Turnovers are the first. Even though they overcame a -3 turnover differential last week, it won’t happen on the road. If anyone has a statistic on what the record is for teams with a -3 turnover differential, I’d love to see it. I would bet it is below .100.

Second is the offense not sticking with their game-plan. It seems the MO for this team is to pound the ball consistently, with a few passes thrown in. It makes for a “slow start,” but it leads to opposing defenses wearing down and big second halves. For whatever reason, it seems that Bevell abandons the run game too early and lets RW take over. For the most part, RW can do it, but that’s not how this team is built. Commit to the run, keep it going even if you get down a score or two. Trust your defense to keep you in it, and trust the Beast and RW to do their thing in the second half.

“I think Sweezy “beating out Moffitt” is more about Moffitt than the play of Sweezy.”

Absolute agreement with this. Even a casual review of either of their play revealed better and more consistent play out of Moffitt. However, commitment, or apparent lack-there-of, and overall potential ceiling, had the Seahawks in a position to commit to Sweezy.

I don’t think anyone can argue that o line is in desperate need of a talent upgrade this offseason.

Agreed. Duke. However, I just had a Deja Vu moment for the, what?, 8th year in a row? Fix the O-Line. Fix the O-Line..Fix the O-line. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? MUAHAHA!! (just kidding, weird day)

As someone who kept insisting Mike Rob would improve the team immensely upon his return, I Told You So! I expect to see ALOT of M-Rob unless and until the line improves a great deal.

I’m also thrilled to hear they will work Bailey into a rotation. That should help the overmatched McQ stay sharp by giving him breathers. Plus, I’d rather see Bailey whiffing a block and learning than McQ whiff when he knows what to do but can’t get it done. Bailey has a far higher ceiling.

Besides, McQ is sadly better at LG than Fat Carp. If Bailey can man LT, perhaps we will see Fat Carp benched and some improvement.

I know I will be in the minority here, but I can’t help but also be disappointed in Bruce Irvin. Its not that Irvin is awful – hes clearly not – but when I spend a first round pick on a pass rusher I am thinking Aldon Smith or Robert Quinn. Irvin recorded 8 sacks as a rookie – that was pretty good, but he was shown to be a liability at DE. SO we move him to OLB – where is has done ok. Would we have spent that first round pick on Irvin as an OLB? Don’t think so.

The are professionals and know more about football than we do. I don’t know one person on this blog who will claim to think they know 1/2 the amount of Mr. Happy or the Duke Boy.

That doesn’t mean some Joe-Schmoe can’t have wanted to draft Kyle Rudolph over James Carpenter (I would have taken a different OL bust myself) in the 2011 draft, which would have made the clown correct and our organization wrong.

All of us have made mistakes in our current lives/jobs, yet still think we’re pretty good/successful at what we do, and Mr. Happy and the Duke Boy are no different in their career(s). Anyone not think Pete wishes he’d have kicked a certain FG in the 1st half of the Falcons play-off game last year like some stupid fans wanted?

They know more than us, but that doesn’t mean they are correct on every little thing that some clown fans have been right on. Does that mean I want some clown fan who wanted a Rudolph (hypothetical) running the team over Schneider? No way but people are still entitled to their opinions.

Someone the other day was describing Moffitt as someone that lacked the desire to get/stay in shape, take things seriously, or have a mean streak to beat his guy. When reading it I thought you could use the same description for Carp.

They did try to address the O-line a few years ago, but their 1st and 3rd round picks in 2011 weren’t the right type of ‘hungry’.

I’m not as down on Sweezy as I am Carp. Sweezy has tons of upside, but Cable threw him to the wolves way too early. Partly that’s Moffitt’s fault for being a complete bust, as is Carp but they had a chance to fix it this past offseason and chose not to. Give Sweezy a few years as a backup before saying he stinks. Of course he stinks. You’d expect that from a guy who’s only been playing guard for 1 1/2 years.

As for Carp, yes, he’s a complete and total failure, both at RT and LG. As a 1st round pick, he should have been polished and ready to start given the shaky competition he had. The only reason I think they kept him this year in the first place was because his contract is fully guaranteed. Next year, the dead cap will be easier to swallow as a June 1st cut. I’d like to see more time with Bowie at LT just so McQ could go back to his normal position and get fat and slow off the field.

I was a bit down on Irvin (without the g) earlier, but I really liked what I saw vs the Cards and Rams. He seemed to know what to do with his assignments and his athletic ability showed up while playing against other pro’s (he seemed to stick out on many plays). I started to understand what PC has been saying since last year. I am much more optimistic about him than I was at the end of last year when he didn’t show up in his home town (Atlanta) when we really needed him. I would like to see more of him on the field along with Smith. I think Irvin has a future at LB, not so much DE.

While Irvin had a quiet game vs the Bucs, he wasn’t bad. Never mind that up to last week he’s been playing very well. He’s even been making some tackles for loss in the run game! He’s everything Aaron Curry was supposed to be (but wasn’t). And there is still the potential for him to gain weight and do some DE in the future as well.

Seattle needs to blitz Irvin more, but he’s been playing fantastic at LB. Keep in mind Seattle reached for him because they planned to get Wags and Wilson and Turbin later–and they did. I can’t remember any team having such a haul in one draft from rounds one through four.

Bobbyk–I hear you. But it must be pointed out that JS and PC have yet to hit a home run on a single first round pick. Jury is still out, but Okung–while a fine player–is injury prone, Carp is an utter bust, Irvin also has been forced to change positions and is not helping the pass rush much, which was what he was drafted to do, and Harvin hasn’t even seen the field. The only unequivocal success in the first round is Earl Thomas.

Seriously, that’s almost as bad a track record over four years as Matt Millens in Detroit (and that’s Baaaad!). They have to stop whiffing and hit home runs on the next two.

Good thing they keep finding guys like Chancellor, Sherman, Wright, Kearse, Browner, Baldwin,, Smith, and Willson in later rounds and the scrap heap.

Sometimes when not making the playoffs, its always better to lose that last game –

2009 – The Seahawks lost to Tenn in the final game which helped BOTH their first round picks positioning (Tenn would have picked higher than Denver had the Seahawks won that game). Without that loss, there would be no Okung & Earl Thomas.

2010 – The Seahawks “won” that division which caused them to have to pick in the bottom 10 of the First Round instead of the Top 10. it was a bad bottom 10 as evidenced by Carpenter, Carimi, Williams, Watkins, Baldwin, etc. It was a great 7-15 including Aldon Smith, JJ Watt, Robert Quinn, Mike Pouncey and Tyron Smith.

2011 – The Seahawks lost in OT to the Cardinals. Had they won, it would have been impossible to draft Russell Wilson. He would have had to have been over drafted in the 2nd round, which no team was willing to do. Going into the draft, a lot of us thought he’d be there in the 4th or even 5th round.

Pans–Seattle almost drafted Wilson in the second anyway–Carrol talked JS out of it. Had they won the Cards game the year before, and picked later, they would have either just taken Wilson in round 2, or traded up/down to the third to get him.

It’s not Sweezys fault Cable is trying to save his job and salve his pride by attempting to turn him into an instant starter. His ass should be riding pine for years until he’s acclimated, I agree; but Cable is to blame for his playing, and Carrol as well. Sweezy’s just doing the best he can, like McQ. It’s Carp who appears to have caught Moffitt-itis and doesn’t seem to care.

STTBM – So you hate Cable…what’s new? It’s so easy to say someone should be fired but how about stepping up and tell us who we should hire instead that’s available and with a better track record. Can’t? Didn’t think so.

Cable IMO is pretty damn good. I don’t think he should be Director of Player Personnel or GM anytime soon but when it comes to blocking, he’s right on up there and his track record says as much.

If we hadn’t lost Breno and Okung, we’d probably be doing a whole lot better. Now I’m not about to bash Schneider or Carroll for lack of depth, but if you want to point fingers, they are the ones that make the picks including free agents. I like both, but sometimes feel that more attention is given to the defense as opposed to the offense (WR and TE depth are meh) and I used to say the opposite about Holmgren.

Nonetheless, I think your incessant rants about Cable are mostly unfounded for what it’s worth.

Richard Sherman is Fierce! I’m 36 and though I played DB and WR, I didn’t have the talent or skill in my whole body that Sherman has in his pinky toe, but when I grow up, I want to write just as passionately concise as he does.

There’s another thing o-lines do besides run block. Run blocking has never been the problem. It’s pass protection and always has been. In this league, you’re just not going to go very far with a QB constantly on his back.

Joereb–We had the best line coach in the NFL, but we didn’t listen to him, kept the ZBS, and fired him. Now he’s coached the miners line to the top, while ours sucks as bad as ever.

The proof is in the pudding. I don’t hate Cable, but he’s had 4 high picks and 4 years and our line stunk before Okung and Unger went down.

The fact is, Lynch may be second in rushing, but not in ypc; we run the ball a LOT. If you look up advanced stats, Seattles line ranks almost dead last overall. We were next to last before the debacle vs the Rams and last wk vs the Bucs. Wilson has been hit about 60 times this year, and is battered.

While our run blocking is decent it’s inconsistent, and NOT second in the league–their performance is largely due to Lynch’s studliness. And our Pass pro is bottom of the barrel. Compare our line Cable has been working on for four years with Denver’s: they have outperformed Seattles line despite massive injuries–LT and three C’s…plus Cable inherited Okung and Unger!!

In four years, Cable has not found one single starter-caliber offensive lineman. That is inexcusable! Epic fail, indeed.

Cable is Asst HC! Carrol is a defensive coord! And Cable is in charge of the run game coord, not Bevell–you think Carp, Moffitt, Sweezy, etc weren’t guys he demanded?! And he’s been unable to coach the guys up. He is ultimately responsible for the depth and overall performance of the line.

From watching the whole Sweezy debacle progress, I don’t think Cable wanted FA’s. He wanted to ride with his guys: we are, and it’s not working. I guess we should give him ten years before calling a spade a spade?!

RDPoulsbo – who were the QB’s? Does Cable call offensive plays too? Which teams were in the top 10 and who were their QB’s? How about their WR’s? Lynch was in Buffalo before he got here, but I don’t recall Buffalo being in the top 10 (I could be wrong). I know Vick was the QB in Atlanta which helped their run game but Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett weren’t HOFers by any means. McFadden and Bush were okay, but again not great.

When was the last time Seattle sent a WR to the Pro Bowl or had someone finish in the top 10 in yards or receptions? I suppose Cable should be blamed, yes?

joreb, I’m not saying replace him now. There isn’t anyone available nowand won’t be until the end of the season when coaching staffs start getting the axe. Still, let’s not pretend Cable is above questioning. O-line is easily the worst group on this team and Cable’s the guy lauded as a teacher who can get young linemen to play well quickly. That has been anything but the case here in Seattle.

You’re the one who wanted to use rushing rankings as the only stat that tells us Cable is so great. Why is it the passing rankings are subject to a bunch of qualifiers but the rushing ranking does not? Go back and look at YPA and you’ll see that rushing under Cable was largely average.

Cable simply has not gotten his O-lineman to pass block very well. That’s no secret to me. However we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water now in the middle of the season.
Hopefully the O-line will get healthy enough by the end of the regular season to not be a major weakness for us in the playoffs.
That’s all we can hope for right now imo.

My disappointment is that as a first round draft pick I’m not expecting him to have to switch from a premium DE pass rusher role to an ‘ok’ OLB role. So, I agree hes not a bust, but I have higher expectations of a 1st round pick.

Joereb–Solari has Only been in SF one year longer than Cable has been here, yet he’s done far better.

Cable inherited a top-5 pick in Oking, as well as Unger, a second rounder. He was also given a first, a third, and sixth and seventh round picks, plus an assload of money to sign Gallery. None of Cables guys in four years has become even avg.

I’m not advocating firing him now, but at thend of the year? At least Carrol should consider it.

I only have one thing to say-sttbm is right! U can’t argue with those rankings – his pass blocking is historically average at best-I find those numbers interesting- I have been pretty neutral on cable up to this point in fact I liked him just because he was a hard ass, apparently being a hard ass doesn’t help you coach pass pro- not impressed with those numbers at all. wow

Joreb, asking STTBM to name a replacement for Cable is kind of silly question, and you’re waiting for an answer…. Like that proves anything at all? Is he supposed to get a list of every line coach in the league and div 1 college and find out whose contract is up or whatever? How would he know that? But the seahawk brains are paid to research crap like that.
Basing an argument on him not having a replacement in mind is a pretty funny arguement

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